Daily News 19

Tag: FIFA

  • FIFA Says 2030 World Cup Final Host Decision Will Be Made ‘in due course’

    FIFA Says 2030 World Cup Final Host Decision Will Be Made ‘in due course’

    FIFA Delays Decision on 2030 World Cup Final Host as Morocco and Spain Stake Claims

    FIFA said on Thursday that the decision over whether Morocco or Spain would host the 2030 World Cup final would be made in due course, pushing back against a declaration by the Morocco Football Federation president that the match would be played at the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca—a venue still under construction.

    The governing body has yet to officially announce which country will host the final. The uncertainty arrives even though the 2026 edition just finished with Spain winning the title this summer, prompting Moroccan and Spanish officials to publicly stake their claim on the next showpiece.

    FIFA Maintains Official Timeline

    A FIFA spokesperson told Efe news agency that, as the organization announced on Aug. 5, the decision will be made in due course. On that date, FIFA had already denied promising Morocco the hosting rights for the World Cup final—a tournament it will co-host with Spain and Portugal—in exchange for support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino in next March’s elections.

    Morocco Asserts Final Is Locked In

    Moroccan federation president Fouzi Lakjaa told a political rally on Thursday that Morocco had secured the final.

    The city of Benslimane will host the World Cup final. Hate it or love it, and if anyone wants to talk on top of that, let them talk, he said. The city is Benslimane, the Hassan II stadium is the stadium, and I hope that Morocco will be playing it.

    Spain Counters with Champion Status

    This week, the head of the Spanish football federation, Rafael Louzán, insisted it was Spain that deserved the game, while acknowledging that the honor has not been guaranteed.

    We all signed to accept the candidacy … it’s too bad that, regarding the final, it wasn’t made clear, totally clear, where it is to be played, Louzán said. Spain, as world champion both in men’s and women’s football, must host the final.

    European officials believe that the sprawling, multi-nation 2030 event should be considered a European event with the final on the continent.

    Centenary Format Adds Complexity

    In addition to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will host the opening matches for their respective national teams during the 2030 World Cup, as a tribute to the centenary of the 1930 World Cup, which was held entirely in Montevideo.

    Infantino Under Pressure Amid Governance Disputes

    The dispute over the final comes with Infantino under intense pressure after UEFA, the umbrella organization of European federations, led a successful revolt to scuttle his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. By contrast, six Arab nation federations, including Morocco’s, have backed him since that fiasco.

    Stadium Capacities: Morocco Offers Larger Venue

    Barcelona’s Camp Nou will hold 105,000 people once renovated. The King Hassan II Stadium near Casablanca is being built in Benslimane, on the outskirts of Casablanca. It is planned to seat 115,000 spectators. Spain can offer the home stadiums of Real Madrid or Barcelona as potential sites for the final. Following its renovation, Barcelona’s Camp Nou will have a capacity of 105,000, while Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu holds 78,297.

    Diplomatic Tensions Shadow the Bid

    Infantino has recently made two trips to Morocco, meeting with King Mohammed VI during annual celebrations of his ascent to the throne in July and then holding a FIFA crisis meeting there in August.

    When confirmed three years ago, the joint candidacy between Spain, Portugal and Morocco looked like a perfect event to bridge Europe and Africa and strengthen bonds between the western Mediterranean neighbors. But the dispute over the final comes with diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rabat already frayed over who was responsible when tens of thousands of mostly Moroccans driven by posts on social media pushed into the small Spanish enclave of Ceuta that borders Morocco. Spain’s prime minister said 140 people died in the crossing.

    Spain’s government has been under political pressure at home to get tough on Morocco, which it has said acted in good faith in the border crisis. Spanish police assessments couldn’t rule out complicity by Moroccan security forces but said that it was unlikely the Moroccan government had intentionally orchestrated it.

    Information from Efe and The Associated Press was used in this report.

  • Gianni Infantino: UEFA Attack on FIFA President Escalates Football’s Civil War

    Gianni Infantino: UEFA Attack on FIFA President Escalates Football’s Civil War

    Much may depend on whether US courts side with Uefa over its requests for evidence related to the FFE plan.

    Documents seen by BBC Sport show that Uefa is seeking information from three parties: Fifa; Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm earmarked as FFE’s lead investor alongside its founder Josh Kushner; and former Formula 1 chief Greg Maffei, described as “the key commercial adviser” on the proposed deal.

    Although the filings state that neither Kushner nor Maffei is expected to be a defendant in any proceedings, Uefa’s lawyers say they are seeking subpoenas against Kushner for “the production of documents and communications and for deposition testimony”.

    Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has yet to comment. However, some legal experts believe he could successfully challenge and block the subpoena request by arguing that details of the deal must remain confidential to protect his business interests and future investments.

    Kushner recently agreed a deal to buy basketball’s Los Angeles Lakers for a record £9.3bn.

    Uncertainty over Uefa’s legal case

    It is unclear how long the process could take or whether Uefa will secure the evidence it needs to support its claim that the World Cup was deliberately undervalued at about £15bn. It is also uncertain whether Uefa will ultimately follow through on its threat to lodge a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

    There is further uncertainty over how confident Uefa would be that criminal charges could be brought. In 2002, echoing the current disunity, several Fifa executive committee members filed a criminal complaint against former president Sepp Blatter with a Zurich court. The public prosecutor took no action, while Blatter denied wrongdoing.

    Last year, a long-running attempt by the Swiss Attorney General’s Office to prosecute Blatter and former Uefa president Michel Platini ended with both men being fully cleared of corruption charges.

    “What Uefa have to show is that they have an arguable case for criminal proceedings to be brought against Infantino,” says leading sports lawyer Nick de Marco KC.

    “If they can show that…then they ought to be given disclosure of a lot of the documents.”

    Asked what he thought the chances were of the case eventually going to trial, De Marco said: “We’re a long way off from that – the first stage is this disclosure application.”

    “My own view is that the likelihood of success in that, which is very important, is high, but then it’s a question for the Swiss prosecutor, looking at that disclosure, to decide whether there is a case [and] that will take some time…but I think what we will likely see is disclosure of very interesting documents and more light shone onto this plan.”

    Uefa calls for reform at Fifa

    Perhaps aware of the challenges its legal action could face, Uefa has meanwhile pledged to “secure fundamental reform, restore proper limits on presidential authority and ensure that Fifa is once again governed as an institution – not around one individual”. It has also demanded “a genuinely independent external review of FFE”.

    Given the support Infantino retains in South America, Africa and parts of Asia, and the way he has survived everything Uefa has thrown at him in recent weeks, many still expect him to remain in power and seek re-election for a fourth term in the spring.

    Uefa has warned that, should he do so, it will “join forces with its partner confederations to ensure that member associations are offered a credible alternative – one committed to integrity, accountability, development and genuine institutional change”.

    But how likely is it that a unifying challenger will emerge? And how can football avoid a repeat of such a crisis in the future?

    Source: www.bbc.co.uk

  • Why Donald Trump’s Waste Will Be Flown Back to US During Turkey Visit

    Why Donald Trump’s Waste Will Be Flown Back to US During Turkey Visit

    President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on July 7 for the NATO Leaders Summit, accompanied by a delegation of approximately 1,400 personnel. The visit has drawn attention for both its diplomatic agenda and the extraordinary security protocols surrounding the U.S. leader.

    Trump Signals Confrontational Stance at NATO

    Before the summit formally began, Trump reiterated several hardline positions. He renewed his demand for U.S. control over Greenland, declared the interim nuclear accord with Iran effectively over, and threatened to sever all trade relations with Spain. The remarks set a combative tone for the alliance gatherings.

    Presidential Waste Security Protocol Draws Scrutiny

    Among the more unusual aspects of the visit is a long-standing security measure governing the president’s biological waste. According to Türkiye Today, Trump’s bodily waste will not touch foreign soil during his stay. Instead, a personal toilet system collects the material, which is monitored closely by Secret Service agents.

    The protocol aims to prevent foreign intelligence services from analyzing the president’s excretions for health information or other exploitable data. The practice has historical precedent. In 2006, President George W. Bush reportedly employed similar measures during a visit to Vienna, with even his used toilet paper flown back to the U.S. Air Base at Ramstein, according to HuffPost.

    The strategy is not exclusive to the United States. French investigative journalists Régis Genté and Mikhail Rubin have reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s team collects his feces in special bags, packing them into suitcases for transport back to Russia. The practice allegedly traces back to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, who reportedly ordered the analysis of Mao Zedong’s waste to assess the Chinese leader’s health.

    Logistical Footprint Unmatched at Summit

    Trump’s security footprint in Ankara extends well beyond the restroom. The presidential limousine, known as “The Beast,” was shipped across the Atlantic for the trip. The U.S. political delegation is the largest at the summit, occupying hotels adjacent to the U.S. Embassy. Trump’s hotel has been entirely taken over by his staff and security detail; no other guests are permitted to stay there during the visit.

    Trump Claims Credit for FIFA Decision on Balogun

    Separately, the president inserted himself into a sporting controversy involving the U.S. men’s national team. At a White House event, Trump claimed he personally intervened with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to delay the enforcement of a red card suspension for striker Folarin Balogun following a match against Belgium.

    “I’m the one that got them to do it,”

    Trump declared in front of cameras, adding that he didn’t know what the hell a red card was despite describing himself as a sports enthusiast.

    “I’m a person that loves sports and was a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well.”

    “That wasn’t a foul… that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. Like, you can’t take your foot and properly place it on somebody else’s foot… these were two great athletes that got tangled up.”

    “This referee is a little bit suspect,” he suggested. “If you check his past, I don’t want to say that because I don’t like to create controversy, but very suspect.”

    Balogun ultimately played in the Round of 16 match, where the United States fell 4-1 to Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle. Goals from Charles De Ketelaere, Hans Vanaken, and Romelu Lukaku secured the victory for the European side, who advance to face Spain in the quarter-finals.